Angel 2
by Draven Star
Summary: The Rebellion is forming. Amidala Vader is pregnant, and trying to make Darth Vader, her husband, love her.
1. Default Chapter

Angel 2  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars or any of the original characters and dialogue from the movies.  
  
Obviously, read Angel (rewritten version; the old one is deleted now) before you read this.  
  
Artman Casino, qtrhrs78, nextwave00, J.E.A.R.K. Potter, Darth Zelda, and everyone else: Thanks for all your reviews on the first story. Artman, I'm glad you like my stories, and yes - Obi-wan/Amidala is the most ridiculous 'ship possible. Sabé/Obi-wan is better, although I don't agree with the theory that Mara Jade is their daughter.

Sorry that this chapter is a little short and moves a bit quickly. It seems like the first chapters of sequels always move kind of fast, because you have to mention things that happened since the previous story ended.

- Draven Star  
  
**-::- Chapter One: Secret Plans -::-  
**  
Amidala Vader set two small, dark red candles in the center of the table in the kitchen, and suddenly realized that she had nothing to light them with. Oh, well, they still looked pretty enough.  
  
She heard the front door open, then close. A faint smile came onto her face. It hardly began to fade when she entered the living room.  
  
"You're back," she said to Darth Vader.  
  
"Obviously."  
  
"You've been gone for a while, though."  
  
"Since this morning," Vader replied, walking over to the staircase without giving his wife more than a glance.  
  
She followed him. "That seems like a long while to me, though. I always miss you."  
  
She was quiet after that, which kept Vader from becoming annoyed.  
  
Today was their two-month-anniversary, and tomorrow, Amidala would be exactly two months pregnant. She had already confessed that she loved him, and she also knew that Darth Vader did not love her in return. But strangely, she acted as if that did not bother her, and Vader could guess why. Most likely, she had the idea that he would love her after being married for a little while longer, or perhaps she thought that the sight of their newborn twins, months from now, would make him care about her.  
  
She was wrong. Vader had been surprised that she loved him - and he could sense the strong emotions and feelings inside her - but that surprise did not affect him. She was having his children. He was only concerned about her in a physical or health sense. Once the twins were two or three years old, they would no longer need Amidala, and Vader would have no more use for her.  
  
But for now, he did appreciate her cooperation, and he easily tolerated her presence. Even if he did not love her, she still belonged to him, and he was used to having her around. Perhaps that was not necessarily a good thing. But Vader would make sure that he did not become attached.  
  
"How was your day?" she asked, breaking into his thoughts. She sat on the edge of their bed. "Did you find out anything about the Rebellion?"  
  
"It exists," said Vader.  
  
"So it's not just rumors?"  
  
"No."  
  
Amidala nodded. "Has the Emperor been expecting this?"  
  
"He and I both expected some kind of resistance against the Empire, sooner or later," answered Vader.  
  
That was another part of his plans - taking over the Empire within the next year, probably much sooner. Once again, he had the odd feeling that everything was going a bit _too_ smoothly, and it was not the Rebellion that bothered him. He was not sure what it was, but he would be careful.  
  
"But are you threatened by a rebellion?" Amidala asked him. "I-I mean...not threatened, but worried, in the least?"  
  
"No, although you should never under-estimate any opponent."  
  
-::-  
  
The sun that shown for both Naboo and Estela, its sister planet, had set now. The sky was dark, with a few traces of dark purples and blues left.  
  
"She's asleep, finally," Sola whispered as she and her husband, Darred, followed Jobal and Ruwee into the living room.  
  
Jobal looked down at Ryoo. The baby was just now closing her eyes, after being changed, fed, played with, then changed again.  
  
Ruwee glanced at his wife, wondering if she might be thinking about their most recent letter from Amidala Vader - no one referred to her as Padmé anymore.  
  
At first, Ruwee had considered that the letter might be a sick joke, but then, he was not sure what exactly the joke was. Part of him - and probably Jobal, too - was just slightly excited about having another grandchild on the way, even if it would be Darth Vader's spawn.  
  
-::-  
  
Over on Estela, Amidala was thinking about her unborn children, too, as she lay awake in bed.  
  
After learning that she was having twins, she thought about writing her parents again, but decided against it. For all she knew, they might not even know that she was pregnant. It would not surprise her if Ruwee or Jobal had just thrown out her last letter without opening the envelope.  
  
"Vader?" she asked softly. They had only gone to bed a few minutes ago, and it seemed as if she always fell asleep before her husband did.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Do you care if the babies are boys or girls?"  
  
"No," said Darth Vader.  
  
"Neither do I." Amidala turned so that she faced him. "Does the Emperor know that I am pregnant?"  
  
"No, he does not."  
  
"Are you going to tell him?"  
  
"I will most likely deal with him before you are due," Vader said.  
  
Amidala moved closer to him, so that her body was almost touching his. He would have shoved her away, but for the babies' safety, he was cautious about doing anything worse than hitting her. Even then, he was careful.  
  
After a few quiet minutes - quiet except for insects chirping and a bird hooting outside - Amidala said, "I love you".  
  
She no longer waited for her husband to respond to those words at all. She closed her eyes, and soon she was asleep.


	2. The Truth

Rednal29: I didn't think that "Darth" was Vader's name (in case that's what you thought), but as far as I know, "Darth Vader" is _NOT_ just a title. In the movies and books, Anakin is considered dead, because Vader left his old life and became Darth Vader. The Emperor and Obi-Wan both think of Anakin and Vader as seperate people (and Luke, even though he directly calls Vader "Father"). Maybe "Darth Tyranus" was just a title for Count Dooku, but I doubt that it's like that for Vader or Maul (being that he was a Sith his whole life). Not trying to be mean, but I'm pretty sure that you're incorrect about that.  
  
Everyone else: Thanks for your reviews. This chapter is a little quick, too, and short, but it'll get better after this.  
  
**-::- Chapter Two: The Truth -::-**  
  
Darth Vader went somewhere the next morning, and left his wife at home. She did not mind, because she was not feeling well. She slept past noon. When she woke up, she went to the bathroom and vomited, then washed her face and went back to bed again.  
  
Between her nauseated moods, she cleaned the house a bit, although it was mostly clean already. By the time Vader returned, just after the sky darkened, Amidala felt much better.  
  
She was in the living room, sitting on the couch, when her husband entered the house. He did not seem to be in a bad mood, though it was not always easy to tell. She smiled at him.  
  
"Hello," she said, not bothering him with the I-missed-you stuff yet. "How did everything go?"  
  
"Well enough." Vader studied her for a moment, and she quickly avoided his eyes.  
  
"Are you going anywhere tomorrow?" Amidala stood. For a moment, she considered trying to hug him, but he would most likely push her away.  
  
"No."  
  
-::-  
  
Later, when Vader came to bed and Amidala was still awake, waiting for him, she asked if he wanted to touch her stomach.  
  
"Why?" he asked.  
  
"The babies," Amidala answered, remembering how Darred use to rub Sola's stomach sometimes.  
  
"They are barely starting to develop."  
  
"But they are still there."  
  
"Touching them is not going to do anything," said Vader.  
  
He was missing the point entirely, not understanding that it was for affection. Amidala had expected that, but she was still a bit frustrated.  
  
_He probably hasn't been shown much caring from anyone in his family, if he even has much of a family_, she reminded herself. _I have to be more patient_.  
  
"Forget it," she said softly, not meaning for the words to be as sarcastic as they probably sounded.  
  
"What is bothering you now?"  
  
"I thought that my pregnancy might make you think about me a little more, but it hasn't so far."  
  
As Amidala said the words, she glanced down at the ring on her finger, the one Vader had given her after their wedding. She had thought it was sweet at first, but then guessed that he only gave it to her because rings were part of marriage, or to show that she belonged to him.  
  
"It does, actually," Vader said.  
  
She looked at him. "Really? You care about the babies?"  
  
"Yes. They are important to me."  
  
"What about me?"  
  
"You are important. I need you right now."  
  
"You need me?" Amidala asked, suddenly feeling cold.  
  
Vader decided to tell her everything now - then perhaps she would stop bothering him about it. He was going to explain it sometime, anyway, and she might have even predicted his plans already.  
  
"Yes. You are having my children," he replied.  
  
"You care about being a father, but not about being a husband?"  
  
"I want a child - my own - to train. Once the twins are born, I will no longer have any use for you."  
  
After hearing that, Amidala was quiet for what seemed like a long time. Vader had expected her to cry, or tell him what a sick monster he was, but she did neither of those. She looked down at her wedding ring again, at the flower-shaped diamond. Finally, she let out a sad sigh.  
  
"I am not really surprised," she said softly, "but I still love you."  
  
"That almost surprises me," Vader admitted.  
  
"Love is powerful," Amidala said, not needing him to directly say that once the babies were old enough, he was going to kill her. Why wouldn't he? She knew so much about him and his plans that he would not simply let her go. And even if he did, she did not want to be freed. She wanted to be here with him and their sons or daughters.  
  
She snuggled under the blankets, close enough to him that he could feel her soft breathing against his arm.  
  
-::-  
  
Although he'd said that he was not going anywhere the next day, the two of them went to Vader's Star Destroyer that afternoon.  
  
Amidala acted as if the conversation last night had not even taken place. But Darth Vader would have known that she was really melancholy, even if he had no Force abilities. He reached into her mind once and found out why she was pretending to be fine - she really believed, as he had guessed, that he would change his mind when he saw their new children.  
  
One of the _Executor_'s doctors, the one that Amidala Vader usually saw, told her that both of the babies appeared healthy right now. She told him that she did not want to know if they were boys or girls, and he promised to keep it a secret until they were born.  
  
-::-  
  
It was already dark when the couple returned to Estela. While they were eating dinner, Amidala thought of something.  
  
"Vader?"  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"How did your mother die?" asked Amidala. Her husband had mentioned midi-chlorians to her once, and explained how he did not have a father. She had not thought of asking about his mother.  
  
"How do you know she is dead?" Vader replied.  
  
"Just guessing. Is she?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"What happened to her?"  
  
"She was killed by Tusken Raiders," Vader answered, almost surprised at how easily he said the words.  
  
"I am sorry." Amidala paused, then changed the subject. "What do you want to name the babies?"  
  
"We do not know what they are yet."  
  
"I know, but we could still have something in mind."  
  
"Wait until they are born," Vader said. "There is a chance you could have a miscarriage."  
  
Amidala was afraid at first, hearing those words, but the fear left her quickly. Vader had married her, in the first place, so that she would have a child for him. He would not harm the babies.  
  
"I guess you are right," she admitted. She was only two months pregnant. But still, she did not want to think negative thoughts. She needed the babies as much as Vader did.  
  
That thought made her disgusted, because she did not want the unborn twins to be _used_. She had never really thought about motherhood before, since she had been so busy with school, campaigning, and then her brief reign as queen. But now, she was going to have a family. Her first challenge was finding some small amount of caring and love in her own husband, and in addition to that, she had to convince him to not kill her in a few years.  
  
Suddenly, her former position in royalty seemed like an easy job.  
  
-------  
  
Again, thanks J.E.A.R.K. Potter, jedi padme amidala vader (was wondering where you went), ani's girl, padme fleur, and everyone else. The next chapters will be better. It might be a few days before I update, because I'm trying to improve Dark Hearts: Luke/Mara Version, in case any of you are reading that.  
  
- Draven Star 


	3. Understand

Final-fic-chic: Not sure...but I know that Darth Vader is _not_ still Anakin Skywalker, as the person said in their review. Glad to get another review from you :)  
  
**-::- Chapter Three: Understand -::-  
**  
They went to the town that afternoon. Amidala thought it was sort of romantic, in way, that Darth Vader could hide both their presences and make them invisible together. She did not say that aloud, though.  
  
While they were standing together in one of the plazas, Amidala asked, "Isn't it funny how everyone here would panic if we weren't hidden?"  
  
"I am surprised that you would find that amusing," Vader replied.  
  
His wife shrugged. "My pregnancy. I have so many odd moods, and I did not feel very sick this morning, so a little nausea will probably come later this evening."  
  
"There are only seven more months of it."  
  
"You are teasing me, aren't you?"  
  
"Yes," said Vader.  
  
Amidala sighed. "I cannot wait until they are born, even though that means that I will only have a couple of years left until you...get rid of me."  
  
"Perhaps I should not have mentioned that to you yet."  
  
"I already guessed that you would tell me something like that." Amidala paused. "I cannot imagine why you would want to spend the rest of your life with me."  
  
"I liked you much more when you were not speaking."  
  
Amidala did not say another word until they returned to the speeder.  
  
As they were riding home, she thought of how Vader used to intentionally come close to crashing the speeder, veering away from trees or bushes at the last moment. She was glad that he did not do that now, because she was pregnant, but she remembered laughing nervously during the stunts.  
  
"I love you, Vader," she said, mostly thinking aloud.  
  
He looked at her for a second, but said nothing. She did not mind, because she started to feel sick then.  
  
_Seven more months, like he said_, she thought. For no real reason, she smiled faintly.  
  
-::-  
  
The next morning, the two of them went to Naboo. They landed near the city that Kitster's jewelry store was in. Since their wedding, Amidala had met Kitster once and knew that he was also one of Darth Vader's agents.  
  
Kitster had still not guessed that Vader might be Anakin Skywalker, his old best friend, all grown up. Perhaps it was difficult to tell, though Vader had never considered it.  
  
The store was closed today. Kitster's wife, Shani, was there. Their four-year-old twin sons were at a friend's house.  
  
As Vader and Amidala came inside, Shani quickly disappeared into one of the back rooms. Amidala frowned - not physically, but in her mind. She had been hoping to meet the woman so that she could possibly receive some advice about having twins, or _any_ advice about pregnancy, since her own mother would not speak to her.  
  
-::-  
  
"I don't like Coruscant," Sola replied. "Too busy and loud."  
  
She and Darred were going on a vacation for the next couple of days. Ruwee had suggested it. He and Jobal were going to take care of Ryoo.  
  
"Kamino?"  
  
"It's kind of creepy there."  
  
"Alright...what about Estela?" asked Darred. "Then we won't be too far from Naboo, so we won't have to travel for half a day."  
  
"That would be nice," Sola said. "We could go to that same little town that we visited for our honeymoon."  
  
"Alright. I'll call Ruwee and let him know."  
  
-::-  
  
Amidala took a shower when she and Darth Vader returned home, wanting to wash her hair. She had felt almost good today, and was fine now. Perhaps her morning sickness was starting to go away already, though she did not get her hopes up.  
  
After mostly drying her hair, she put on a simple, short dark-red dress. Barefoot, she went downstairs to see where Vader was. Hopefully, he was out on the porch. Amidala liked watching sunrises or sunsets with him, which was another thing that she had not yet mentioned to him.  
  
Vader was in the living room, which was just as good - it would not totally surprise Amidala if he suddenly went somewhere without telling her, even though he had never done that. She went over to the couch and sat next to him.  
  
"Kitster's wife was not very friendly," she commented.  
  
"She is afraid of us."  
  
"I know, but...I wanted to ask her about what it's like to have twins, or having a baby at all. I feel so unprepared without my mother's advice or guidance, or Sola's."  
  
"They chose to ignore you." Vader touched one of his wife's mostly-bare legs. Her short dress showed them off. "You should not have even told them that you are pregnant."  
  
"I just wanted to. They are going to be grandparents again. I don't know if I'll write them after the twins are born."  
  
"Do not. They will read whatever is in the periodicals."  
  
"Okay," Amidala said as Vader stroked her leg again. She paused. "Can I have a kiss?"  
  
"Will you leave me alone?"  
  
Amidala nodded. She hesitated, then sat up a little so that her mouth could reach his more easily.  
  
The kiss was brief at first. Amidala started to move away, so that she could leave her husband alone as she'd said she would, but he slid his arm around her waist and pulled her close again.  
  
"Thank you," she said softly before they kissed again. She sat on his lap mostly, carefully moving so that she did not risk disturbing the babies.  
  
Vader surprised Amidala when he touched her abdomen for a moment. She looked at him, actually making eye contact with him for just a second.  
  
"I think they are fine."  
  
He did not reply, but started to kiss her again. She decided to be quiet.  
  
-::-  
  
Darred and Sola arrived on Estela the next morning.  
  
Darred had not been able to get a room in the exact same hotel that they had stayed in during their honeymoon, but instead, he rented one of the few small cabins that were in the woods, just outside of the town. If he'd had any idea that his sister-in-law and Darth Vader lived about an hour away - slightly less than that, actually - he certainly would have chosen another place. In fact, he and Sola would have stayed on Naboo.  
  
"It's cute," Sola commented as they entered the cabin. Her tone was not very enthusiastic.  
  
"You miss Ryoo," her husband guessed aloud as he closed the door.  
  
"Yes. The last couple of hours have been too quiet. I didn't think I would say this, but I miss her crying."  
  
"Me too, actually." Darred came behind Sola and slid his arms around her waist. "But we're only going to be here for three days. Let's enjoy it."  
  
She smiled faintly, and turned around so that she could hug him in return.  
  
"Are you scared?" he added.  
  
"Scared? Why?" Sola asked.  
  
"You know. Your sister."  
  
"I don't know."  
  
Darred stroked her hair. "Don't worry, dear. Darth Vader and Amidala are nowhere around here."  
  
-::-  
  
A few hours later, while Sola and Darred went to a restaurant they had eaten at during their honeymoon. Amidala Vader and her husband were in their bedroom. Not long after their wedding, Darth Vader had discovered that his wife was good at giving massages.  
  
"Vader, I was thinking earlier..." Amidala said as she sat behind him on the bed.  
  
"Finally."  
  
Hurt, Amidala hesitated for a moment, then started to rub his shoulders. "I wanted to try making a deal with you, but I suppose that I don't have anything you want, except for the twins."  
  
"If you attempt to get rid of them on your own, I will kill you," said Vader. His voice was not menacing, but he did mean the words.  
  
"You are going to do that anyway," Amidala replied, "but I cannot think of hurting the babies, especially not because their father wants to kill me. It isn't their fault."  
  
Vader's mood improved slightly, perhaps because of the relaxing sensation of his wife's fingers on his shoulders. He had a feeling that this conversation was not just a tearful please-don't-kill-me episode. It would not hurt to hear what Amidala was trying to say.  
  
"What is it that you want?"  
  
Amidala thought for a moment. Her fingers were slowly moving down to her husband's back, and she rubbed with just a little more pressure.  
  
"I don't know anything about parenthood, obviously," she said softly, managing to keep her voice from shaking, "and - no offense to you - but I don't think you do, either."  
  
"It is not exactly the same as training," Vader admitted. "What is your point?"  
  
"Since you are going to be the new Emperor soon," Amidala continued, "you will not be able to raise two children on your own. I'm guessing that you'll be busy sometimes. If you let me live, I could help - since I am the twins' mother."  
  
"Go on," Vader said. His wife did make a good point, but he was not going to tell her that.  
  
Amidala stopped massaging him for a moment. She shrugged. "I don't know how I can convince you. I want to spend the rest of my life and life-after-death with you. If you let me live, then I'll try my best not to bother you, and I won't ask you for anything again."  
  
"You cannot promise that."  
  
"But I will _try_. I know that is not good enough for you, but it is the best I can do."  
  
Vader considered the whole conversation for a moment before replying.  
  
"You must understand something if I let you join me," he said.  
  
Amidala moved so that she was sitting next to him now. She wanted to lean against him or rest her head on his shoulder, but was not bold enough right now.  
  
"I am a Sith," Vader told her, "and our children will be, as well. You know that now, before they are even born. If you ever try to change them, it will be useless."  
  
"I understand."  
  
"Good." Vader put his arm around Amidala's shoulders, which surprised her at first. She leaned against him.  
  
"I love you," she whispered.  
  
Vader stroked her hair. "Do you want to go for a walk?"  
  
Amidala nodded. "Alright. I don't feel sick right now."  
  
-::-  
  
"Darred, it's dark outside," Sola said.  
  
"The moon is full," he pointed out. "There's more light than usual. And we won't go very far."  
  
"What about snakes and bats?"  
  
"I'll protect you," Darred told her in a playful macho tone.  
  
She smiled. "Alright. I'll get my coat." 


	4. The Pond

Two chapters for this update, since Chapter Five is short.  
  
**-::- Chapter Four: The Pond -::-  
**  
"We're lost," Sola whined. "I knew it."  
  
"No, we're not. We haven't been walking for a whole minute yet," said Darred. "Look behind you. That square-ish shadow thing near that tree is one corner of the cabin."  
  
"Oh. Sorry."  
  
"Do you want to go back?"  
  
"Not yet."  
  
-::-  
  
"Where are we going?" Amidala Vader asked. For a moment, she looked up at her husband, and a bit of moonlight caught his chilling eyes. She quickly looked away again.  
  
"Why do you ask?"  
  
"I feel as if you are taking me somewhere, that's all."  
  
"I am," Darth Vader said.  
  
Amidala let out a sigh that was peaceful. Above, a couple of bats flew by, one of them squeaking. An animal howled in the distance, and a different one called in return. Amidala was not the least bit nervous. She felt quite safe with her husband next to her. It was a bit odd, considering that he was Darth Vader, and probably more dangerous to her than anything else in the forest.  
  
"Thank you," she said, "for listening to me earlier. I didn't know if you would."  
  
"Despite what I say sometimes, I believe that you are intelligent."  
  
Amidala smiled faintly, and it was too dark for her husband to see.  
  
"Is that something you like about me?" she asked.  
  
"Yes," Vader admitted.  
  
-::-  
  
Sola and Darred came to the little pond first, about half-an-hour later. They found it on purpose, while Darth Vader already knew of it and was taking Amidala there.  
  
The pond was twice as big as the round table in their dining room at home, but no larger than that. Darred said that he guessed it was two feet deep, maybe a little more. Above, there was an open space in the canopy of tree leaves and branches, so plenty of moonlight shone on the water.  
  
"Wow," Sola said softly. "Did you know this was here?"  
  
"No," Darred answered.  
  
"It's beautiful. Let's stay here for a moment. My feet are starting to ache a little."  
  
"Alright."  
  
Darred slid his arms around his wife's waist, and they stood together like that for what seemed like a long time, just looking at the pond or listening to the sounds of the night. The dark forest did not even seem scary now that they had found this place.  
  
"Darred, do you want to have another baby?" Sola asked softly, as if someone nearby might be trying to eavesdrop.  
  
"What?" he replied, also whispering.  
  
"Not now. I mean in another year or so. I want Ryoo to have a brother or sister that's close to her age."  
  
"I suppose that's a good idea. Want to go back to the cabin and practice?"  
  
"Alright," Sola said. She turned and kissed his cheek. She started to smile, but stopped when she realized something.  
  
"Darred," she added, "which we way did come from?"  
  
He glanced behind them and pointed. "Right there."  
  
"No, we didn't. You walked about halfway around the pond when you were trying to estimate how deep it is, didn't you? And I followed you."  
  
"Wait...didn't you stumble just before we approached the pond? You almost tripped on a stick?"  
  
"How many sticks and twigs are lying on the ground in a _forest_?" Sola asked sarcastically.  
  
"Yeah, I guess that doesn't..." Darred stopped.  
  
His wife looked at him. "What is it?"  
  
"Shh...listen."  
  
Sola heard it, too. It sounded as if someone were coming from the opposite direction. If they kept going straight, they would arrive at the other side of the pond.  
  
Darred guessed the same thing. "They must be coming this way."  
  
Sola hugged him and whispered, "I hope it's not a bounty hunter, or thieves..."  
  
-::-  
  
"It's them," Amidala whispered, looking at her husband.  
  
They were less than twenty feet from the pond, and from Sola and Darred's point of view, they were still hidden by the trees and shadows.  
  
Vader touched his wife's arm. "I am going to hide my presence."  
  
"Please don't leave me," Amidala whispered.  
  
"I will be right beside you."  
  
"Could we just go?"  
  
"No. You want to face them," said Vader.  
  
Amidala nodded. He probably would have known that without reading her mind.  
  
"I am afraid, too," she replied.  
  
Vader pulled her close, and she had to rest her face against his chest.  
  
"You are going to be the empress of the galaxy. If anything, they are afraid of _you_."  
  
"I guess you're right."  
  
"I am. Go."  
  
-::-  
  
Sola held onto her husband's wrist as one mysterious figure approached. Darred thought he'd heard two voices, but they had not been close enough for him to really tell.  
  
His wife's grip on his arm tightened when Lady Amidala Darth Vader came into view. She stood across from them, on the other side of the pond. In her black coat, and short scarlet dress underneath that, she looked quite creepy. Around her neck was a silver necklace, which had a small, also silver dragon head. The moonlight caught the dragon's orange jewel eyes.  
  
"Padmé, what are you doing here?" Darred asked.  
  
"That is not my name," Amidala replied, "and hello, by the way."  
  
It was strange, but she was certain she could feel her husband beside her. With his presence hidden and her not touching him, she could not see or hear him anymore than Sola and Darred could, but she just felt as if she knew exactly where he was.  
  
"Why are you on Estela?" Darred added.  
  
"Because I can be."  
  
"Do you live here?"  
  
"No."  
  
Darred glanced at Sola, then back at his sister-in-law. "What are you doing out in the woods alone? Where's...you know who...?"  
  
"He has a name," said Amidala.  
  
"Are you really pregnant?" Sola asked, finally saying something.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Then I feel sorry for the poor thing already."  
  
"Just because you can be a mother doesn't mean that I cannot."  
  
"At least my husband is a caring father, who loves me," said Sola.  
  
Amidala was not sure how to reply to that. She did not want to, really, because her big sister had somehow guessed her weak spot. She tried to appear as if she did not care about Sola's comment, but her eyes were already becoming wet.  
  
Suddenly she felt Vader's arm around her waist, meaning that she was now invisible with him.  
  
Sola looked at Darred. "Where'd she go?"  
  
"I don't know."  
  
Amidala hugged her husband tightly as she began to cry. Although he held her, she knew that he did not really care about comforting her. But even though he was the reason she was crying - him as well as Sola - being held by him made her feel better.  
  
"I hate her," Amidala muttered. Perhaps she would silently retract the words later, but for now, she was angry enough to feel as if she meant them.  
  
"And you should," Vader said, stroking her chocolate-colored hair.  
  
"Let's just get out of here," Darred was telling Sola.  
  
"Come," Vader said to his own wife. He let go of her, then took her hand.  
  
She nodded, her cheeks still wet with tears.  
  
-::-  
  
Amidala had another brief scare when they approached the house. One of the pet falcons - it was hard to tell if it was the female or male, because of the darkness - flew right past her face, so close that the feathers its wing brushed against her.  
  
She shrieked and turned to Vader, burying her face in his chest.  
  
"He likes you," he said.  
  
Amidala looked at him. "The falcon?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"That was a nice way of showing it."  
  
When they went inside, Amidala thought about taking a shower, but was too tired. She changed into her nightgown, then went to bed. Vader joined her a few minutes later.  
  
"Did you know they were going to be there?" Amidala whispered.  
  
"No," her husband answered. He turned the room's lights went off with a mind trick. "Do you know why they are here?"  
  
"Maybe they're on a vacation or something. My parents must be taking care of Ryoo."  
  
Underneath the blankets, Vader touched Amidala's leg, sliding his hand underneath the bottom of her nightgown.  
  
"Are you disappointed with me?" she asked.  
  
"Why?"  
  
"I did not handle that encounter very well."  
  
"I was not expecting anything from you. We were both surprised to see them," Vader said.  
  
He let go of her leg and touched her abdomen. Her sadness started to fade.  
  
"Good night," she said in a soft, sleepy tone. "I love you."  
  
Almost an hour away, Sola and Darred were in their cabin, packing their things. Neither of them cared that this vacation was cut short. They just wanted to go back to Naboo. 


	5. Emperor And Empress

**-::- Chapter Five: Emperor And Empress -::-**  
  
Darth Vader became emperor almost a month later, the day after his and Amidala's three-month wedding anniversary, when he was at one of the bases on Coruscant.  
  
There was not anything special or complicated about his plan - he simply took out his lightsaber and struck Emperor Palpatine down. Actually, it had not been that easy. Vader could not think much about the fact that he was about to take out his lightsaber, because Palpatine would sense that something was wrong. He just did it.  
  
The two red-clad guards, standing on either side of the room's entrance, appeared confused. They were not sure if they were supposed to attack Vader, or do nothing, since Palpatine was dead now.  
  
Finally, one of them started to bow.  
  
"Good," said Vader. "I am the master now. See to it that you let everyone know - preferably within the next minute."  
  
The other guard gave a small nod, then they both left.  
  
-::-  
  
Darth Vader returned home that night. It was late, almost midnight, but his wife was still awake. She was sitting on the couch in the living room when he entered.  
  
During the past month, Vader had still shown no signs of starting to deeply care for Amidala. But she understood, because he had been quite busy. He went to Coruscant or his Star Destroyer almost every day, taking his wife along less than half the time. He usually left in the morning, before she woke up, and came home by evening, sometimes after sunset. Amidala suspected that something was going on, and when he wanted to tell her, he would. She did not bother him about it.  
  
Amidala turned off the viewing screen on the wall across from the couch. She had already heard the news - brief reports had come on every channel all day, at least once an hour. Most of them simply said that Palpatine was dead and Vader was now the emperor.  
  
"Hello," she said, mentally adding _My love_. She hesitated before hugging him. "Congratulations, I think. I am not sure what to say."  
  
Vader seemed to actually be in a good mood, though it did not show. He touched Amidala's abdomen for a moment, which was just starting to poke out; it was not really noticeable.  
  
"To you, as well," he said. "You are the empress now."  
  
"I hope that I do a better job than I did as Naboo's queen."  
  
"This will be more than that." Vader looked into his wife's brown eyes for a second before she avoided his cold blue ones.  
  
"I love you," she said softly. _I am the second-most-powerful person in the galaxy now, yet all I want is for you to love me_.  
  
Vader caught that thought in Amidala's mind, but said nothing.  
  
Neither of them were very tired, despite how late it was, so Amidala cooked. She was happy for her husband, knowing that this must have been part of his plans for a long time, and he had now accomplished it. 


	6. Another Talk

**-:- Chapter Six: Another Talk -:-**

It was two o' clock in the morning when they went to bed. Amidala was more tired now, but she had a few questions for Darth Vader in her mind now. Since their wedding, it seemed that both of them were used to talking in bed every night. Amidala enjoyed it.

"Are we going to move?" she asked. "To Cor-- I mean, Imperial City?"

"Most likely," Vader answered, knowing that she would not be happy. Imperial City was not her favorite planet, or his. But it would be best if he were close to the bases. He still wanted to run them and the _Executor_ himself, since he would not be the kind of ruler that sat on a throne all day.

"Am I still going to see you as much as I do now?" Amidala asked after a pause, not wanting to bother him with a series of questions.

"More often, actually," said Vader.

He touched her face for a moment, so that she could not turn her head away and avoid his eyes, then kissed her. She returned it. Then, probably for the first time, she started their next kiss.

"I love you," she said, almost whispering.

Vader waited a second, as if he were actually going to reply to those words. But he said nothing and kissed her mouth again, then her neck. She did not say anything else, either, and moved closer to him than she already was. She felt relieved all of a sudden, and safe, and did not worry anymore about how their life might be changing.

-:-

The next week was almost blissful for Amidala, and she hoped that if their lives did change, they would be like this. She went with Darth Vader to the _Executor_ or one of the Imperial City bases every day that week, except one - her morning sickness returned for one last round, so Vader let her stay home. That day, he himself came home after only a couple of hours. Amidala wanted to think that he had returned early so that he could be with her while she wasn't feeling well, but she did not get her hopes up.

When Amidala was four months pregnant, they moved to a mansion on Imperial City; one that Vader had always owned, but had only stayed in while he was on the planet.

By now, Vader still did not love his wife, but he was beginning to believe that if he could trust anyone, it was her. He decided that perhaps she was his friend now, though he would not admit it to her aloud. Meanwhile, she was only more deeply in love with him.

-:-

One night - their second night in their new house, Amidala thought of something. It was not a question that she really wanted an answer to, but it had been in her mind for a few days now.

She looked down at herself. Her stomach was showing more now, though she could still hide it with most of her coats and cloaks. So far, the media had not found out that she was pregnant. They would probably start reporting it in another month or so, when it was more obvious.

"Vader?" she asked, without looking at him.

"Yes?"

"Would you ever cheat on me?"

Darth Vader was surprised that his wife had enough courage to ask him something like that. He sensed the nervousness rising in her now, though, as she waited for an answer, or any reply at all.

He had never thought about the topic, actually. "Why do you ask?"

"I was worrying...I mean, wondering." Amidala looked at her abdomen again, which showed a bit through the black blankets. "I'm going to be getting fatter and more tired all the time, and...that's all."

"And what else?" Vader asked, sensing her dishonesty at the end of the sentence.

She was quiet for a moment. "It's not because of anything physical, it's just that...well, do you remember once, when we were discussing soulmates and love, and I joked about there being a psychotic, twisted witch somewhere out there, waiting for you?"

"Yes."

"What if there is, and you meet her?"

"Do you actually worry about that happening?" Vader asked.

His wife nodded. Her eyes were wet now.

"If I preferred someone like that, I would not have married you," said Vader, "and if I were suppose to marry someone else, I would have."

"So you think we were meant to be together?" Amidala asked. There was not a hint of hopefulness in her voice. She had learned not to get excited.

"Yes, although that does not mean that I love you."

"I didn't think so. I don't expect you to ever love me."

"Then why do you have those feelings for me?" Vader asked.

"Because I do," Amidala told him.

He raised his hand to point at the panel beside the bedroom door, and the lights went off. She moved closer to him, and he surprised her by putting his arm around her.

"Good night," she whispered, not wanting to ruin his good mood.


	7. Mine

nextwave00: Thanks for your review :) Dark Hearts: Luke/Mara Version is an AU, one of those where Luke has joined Vader in ROTJ. There's Vader/Padmé and Leia/Han in it as well, in case you're interested. If not, I'm still glad to get your reviews for this story.  
  
**-::- Chapter Seven: Mine -::-  
**  
Two days later, Kitster let the press know that Lady Vader was pregnant, though he did not say how far along she was, or that she was having twins. Amidala appreciated that. Perhaps her parents would actually try think of calling her to get more details, though that seemed unlikely.  
  
_I wonder what they said when Sola and Darred told them about our encounter in the forest_, she thought as she was cooking that evening. She wanted to wait until her husband came home, but he might not return for another two or three hours, and she was starving. She now believed the saying about pregnant women eating for two - eating for three, in her case.  
  
_Maybe Sola and Darred did not mention seeing Vader and I_, she thought.  
  
She glanced down at her stomach, and wondered - not for the first time - if Darth Vader was still going to kill her when the twins were a few years old. She felt sure that he had not been deceiving her when he said that he would let her stay alive. It was strange, but every time she found herself wondering if he were lying, a feeling of certainty came over her, assuring her that he was being honest.  
  
_I do think that he will change when he sees you two_, she thought, touching her stomach. _He would probably say that he won't, but he cannot know how he will react until you are actually born, right?_  
  
The thought made Amidala feel better.  
  
Suddenly, she heard the front door opening. She smiled and went to greet her husband.  
  
-::-  
  
If Darth Vader was starting to care about his wife at all, a faint hint of the feeling came to him one evening, about a month later.  
  
He and Amidala, who was exactly five months pregnant today, went to a convention on Coruscant. It reminded them both of the two conventions they attended on Estela several months ago, back when they were dating. Not many guests came to this one, though. There were probably a hundred beings, maybe one-hundred-and-fifty, in the fancy hotel ballroom.  
  
Many of the women in the room seemed to have the same idea in mind - this was a wonderful opportunity to get on Lady Vader's good side, as well as her husband's. At least ten or fifteen other couples came up to the Vaders and kindly asked Amidala about her pregnancy, if the baby was a boy or girl, when it was due. They poured out comments about how beautiful she looked.  
  
Amidala saw through the fake friendliness and complements, though she acted as if she believed them. Vader seemed to know she was pretending, so she did not worry. She gave everyone the same answers - she didn't know the baby's gender and wasn't sure what day it was due.  
  
There was one couple that seemed genuinely nice - Amidala picked up on it even without having Force abilities. It was Admiral Piett and his wife. Piett and his wife were both only a year older than Darth Vader. Mrs. Piett was pregnant, too, though she was not showing yet.  
  
The Pietts were going home early, since Mrs. Piett did not feel well. Amidala told her good night and wished her luck.  
  
After they left, Amidala looked at Vader and was about to ask him if they could leave, too, but stopped when she noticed someone.  
  
It was a young-looking man, probably around Vader's age. His eyes were the same dark brown as his somewhat curly hair. He was arm-in-arm with a Twi'lek girl. The two of them were approaching. Vader glanced at his wife, seeing a small smile come onto her face. It was a real smile, not the fake one she had been showing the other guests that had come over to them.  
  
"Palo," she said. "Is that really you?"  
  
"Yes, Your Highness," the brown-haired man replied. He reached out to shake her hand - so far, no one else had tried doing that.  
  
"This is my friend's fiancé, Siatt," he added, indicating the Twi'lek girl next to him. "She doesn't speak Basic very well yet. I gave her a ride and came in to make sure she found her friends."  
  
"That was sweet of you," Amidala replied.  
  
Vader looked at her, wondering how she knew Palo. She had told him before that he was her first boyfriend, and that she had never even gone on a date before. Still, she seemed to recognize this man with more than an-old-friend-of-mine feelings.  
  
Siatt told her something.  
  
"She said congratulations on your baby," Palo translated. "And congratulations from me, as well."  
  
"Thank you," Amidala said. "What are you doing now?"  
  
"I'm at an art college on Yavin Five. Siatt and her fiancé go there, as well."  
  
"How is it?"  
  
"Wonderful, since I wasn't able to afford admission to the University of Theed. I really wanted to remain on Naboo."  
  
"You should have let me know," said Amidala. "I would have been very glad to help you, since..."  
  
"What is it?" Vader asked her.  
  
"The baby just kicked me," she answered, almost forgetting to say "the baby" instead of "one of the babies". She took Palo's hand and lightly pressed it against her stomach.  
  
"There," she said. "It just kicked me twice."  
  
"I don't feel anything," Palo replied. "The little fellow must have gotten tired."  
  
That was when Vader felt jealousy, perhaps for the first time in his life. Even when he was a slave, he had not been jealous of the money and things that rich or even middle-class citizens had. But Amidala had not yet mentioned to him that the babies kicked her sometimes. He probably would not have cared if she had, but now he did, because they were _his_ children.  
  
Siatt said something else.  
  
Palo replied to it, then looked at Amidala. "If you don't mind, Your Highness, we should go find her friends before they worry about her. It was nice to see you here."  
  
She smiled. "It was wonderful to see you again. Have a nice evening."  
  
"You, too, Your Highness," said Palo.  
  
Siatt smiled, and the two of them left.  
  
Vader glanced at the center of the room as Palo and Siatt headed in that direction. There was a round table, with glasses of champagne and different kinds of wine arranged on the surface. In the table's center were several lit candles, probably twenty or more.  
  
The Sith Lord concentrated on the table, just as Palo and Siatt came closer to it. Amidala looked at him and asked him something, but he did not listen to her. He was angry at her, but he'd deal with that later.  
  
One side of the table started to lift - by itself, the guests would think - and then it tipped over.  
  
The glasses all fell to the floor, and most broke when the table landed on them. Siatt shrieked, but moved out of the way in time. The edge of the table struck Palo's shoulder, but a Zabrak man caught him before he could fall over. The wines stained the beige carpet. Gold champagne sprinkled onto the edge of a middle-aged human woman's white dress. She looked as if she were really going to cry. Luckily, most of the candles went out, and neither the carpet nor the dark green tablecloth caught on fire.  
  
"Oh, my goodness," Amidala said softly. She looked up at her husband. She must not have been paying attention when the table tipped and fell over by itself.  
  
"Could we get out of here?" she asked Vader.  
  
"Yes." He pleased to see that she did not even look over at Palo again.  
  
-::-  
  
Three hours later, Amidala was still in the dark purple dress she had worn to the convention. She was tired, and still silently ordering herself to get up, go upstairs, and change into a nightgown. But she lazily sat on the living room couch for another few minutes.  
  
She looked up as Darth Vader came into the room.  
  
"That was scary," she commented.  
  
"What?"  
  
"The convention. I guess someone accidently knocked the table over," Amidala answered as her husband sat next to her.  
  
"Perhaps," he said.  
  
She looked into his eyes for a moment, before shivering and glancing down at her stomach.  
  
"I'll be so happy when they're born. Not that I am not happy already, since I am with you," she said.  
  
"You were especially joyful earlier," Vader replied.  
  
"At the convention? Not really, except for seeing Palo. I hate going to those things. We both do."  
  
"That is what I was referring to."  
  
"What do you mean?" Amidala asked. "Palo?"  
  
Vader slapped her, though not very hard. "Yes, dear."  
  
She was hurt, not necessarily because of the slap - she used to him hitting her by now, and appreciated that he had been carefully lately, because of her pregnancy - but the sarcastic "dear" bothered her more. She was very sensitive about that, since her biggest problem was that she loved him so much and he did not love her.  
  
"I am sorry," she whispered, "but what did Palo do?"  
  
"What did you do?"  
  
Amidala thought for a moment. "A-Are you m-mad that I was talking to a-another man?"  
  
Vader struck her again, harder. Even though she was not as surprised this time, it hurt.  
  
"You were happy to see him. Who is he?" he asked.  
  
"He's a f-friend." She touched her cheek, guessing that there would be a bruise there. "S-Sort of. I...I knew him one summer when I was t-twelve. I had a stupid little schoolgirl crush on him. That's a-all."  
  
"You let him touch you."  
  
"I d-didn't think you w-would care."  
  
"That does not matter. They are my children."  
  
Amidala looked at her stomach again. "That was the f-first time that they have kicked me. I was excited about it. I didn't th-think. I am sorry."  
  
Her husband raised his hand slightly, and she thought he was going to hit her again. Tears were coming from her eyes now.  
  
He touched her cheek instead of striking her. She hesitated before relaxing.  
  
"I love you," she said. "I'll do anything t-to apologize to you."  
  
"You are mine," Vader told her, knowing it was not much of an answer.  
  
"That is all that I want to be," she replied softly.  
  
Suddenly, she took his hand, and placed it on her stomach. One of the babies kicked twice. Then the other kicked once. Amidala smiled, forgetting that she had been sad five seconds ago.  
  
"They must be healthy," she said. "They are so energetic."  
  
Vader was surprised at how quickly his irritation with her had faded. That was unusual.  
  
-::-  
  
Late the next morning, they went to Imperial City's main base. They were there for several hours, but Amidala Vader did not mind. She always thought that the base and the Executor had a sort of excitement in the air, especially now that the Rebellion was officially formed.  
  
The thought of a conflict beginning, between the Empire and the Rebellion, had disturbed Amidala at first. If it were not for her husband, she would still be the queen of Naboo and probably have ended up helping the Rebels, or at least supporting them.  
  
But she was different now, and what-if possibilities never occured to her, because she did not want to picture herself without Darth Vader. She felt bad about supporting the killing of Rebels, or she used to. While she and Vader were talking in bed one night, a week or so ago, he pointed out that they were a _rebellion, _and knew that they were intentionally getting themselves into trouble. If a rebellion had started on Naboo while Amidala was queen, she would have had to deal with them, knowing that their actions were illegal.  
  
Amidala did not think that the the hypothetical situation was exactly the same as the Rebellion wanting to stop the Empire, but she understood what Vader meant, and mostly agreed with it.  
  
That evening, while they were still at the base, she went to see one of the doctors. The visit did not go as easily as usual. After the ultrasound - and being careful, as always, not to reveal the babies' genders - the doctor had a somewhat uneasy look on his face.  
  
"What is it?" Amidala asked.  
  
"Nothing serious, My Lady," the man replied. "I don't want to worry you about it. I was just wondering if you could perhaps stay here tonight, so that I can do a few tests."  
  
Amidala glanced at Darth Vader, who was standing next to the thin hospital bed she was lying on.  
  
"Very well," he said.  
  
"Thank you, Doctor," Amidala added. The man was wearing a nametag, but she was not sure how to pronounce his name and did not feel like guessing right now.  
  
"Yes, My Lady," he replied. He gave her and Vader a small bow, then left the room.  
  
Now that they were alone, Amidala sighed.  
  
"Please don't leave me here," she said, looking up at her husband.  
  
"You will be fine."  
  
"It's scary here," Amidala said, then silently scolded herself for whining.  
  
"You have been here before."  
  
"But not without you. Please stay with me."  
  
Vader touched his wife's lips. "I have things to do. You will be fine for one night. Are you concerned for the babies?"  
  
"Yes, of course," she whispered.  
  
"Then do not stress yourself. It cannot be good for them."  
  
Amidala nodded. "I love you."  
  
Her husband looked at her for a moment, then left without saying anything else.  
  
-::-  
  
Darth Vader actually did not like the idea of leaving Amidala at the base, but he mainly did it out of some frustration with himself. He had felt _jealous_ of Palo yesterday - a mere college student who would probably spend much of his life as a starving artist and a peddler. And at home, when Amidala answered her husband's questions and told her how honestly sorry she was, he was not even angry with her afterwards.  
  
Oh, well. Vader always kept one thing in mind - if anything happened, such as several miscarriages or Amidala and the twins possibly dying in childbirth complications - he would simply find some other woman to marry.  
  
That thought was going through his mind as he entered the house. After locking the front door, he went into the living room, and was once again surprised by his reaction.  
  
The room felt empty. Even though Vader knew that Amidala was at the base, his subconcious seemed to expect her to be in the kitchen or the living room when he came home. He had gotten used to her greeting him.  
  
_"And I miss you when you're gone. Not just because I'm alone in the house all day, but because I like talking to you, whenever we do really talk, and..."  
_  
No one else had ever done that, except for the pet falcons, which had been left on Estela. Coruscant would not be a good enviroment for them.  
  
_She is probably having a nervous breakdown right now_, Vader thought.  
  
Finally, he decided to go back to the base. He needed to find out what was going on with the babies, anyway, and if Amidala worried and became too frightened, she would probably make herself have a miscarriage, or at least get sick.  
  
That sounded a bit ridiculous to Vader, but he used it as his excuse.  
  
-::-  
  
When he entered the medical room again, Amidala was alone. Her face brightened when she saw him. She carefully sat up, looking uncomfortable in the bed.  
  
"I thought you--"  
  
"Yes," Vader interrupted her, not in the mood for any sweet moments. "I forgot that you are too pathetic to be left by yourself for more than a minute."  
  
"I just don't like being without you," she replied softly, obviously hurt. She paused, looking at her stomach. "Doctor whatever-his-name-is said that both of the twins are fine, and it's not necessary for me to stay all night. He told me that I could go home whenever you came back."  
  
"Very well."  
  
Amidala touched her stomach. "One of them just kicked me. Come here."  
  
"Are you going to be excited every time they move?"  
  
"S-Sorry."  
  
-::-  
  
Amidala was quiet during the entire ride back to the house, not understanding what she had done to annoy Vader. Perhaps he was just not in a good mood. As usual, she tried not to bother him.  
  
Both of them were a little tired, so they went to bed. Amidala tried asking Vader if he wanted a massage. He said no. She added that she was sorry for bothering him earlier, and he told her that it would help if she stopped now.  
  
She left him alone. As she lay awake, looking at the ceiling, one of the babies kicked her again. It was the same one that had kicked her in the base's medical room. She smiled faintly.  
  
_"You were happy to see him. Who is he?"_  
  
Amidala touched her face, where there was a small bruise from where Vader had hit her last night.  
  
_He must care about me_, she thought. _He was angry when I let Palo feel my stomach. He had every right to be bothered by that_.  
  
She turned her head slightly and looked at him, seeing that he was still awake, also.  
  
"I love you," she whispered. Then she rested her head against her pillow again, and closed her eyes.  
  
"Shut up," Vader said softly, without sounding irritated. Underneath the blankets, he took her hand, sliding his fingers in between hers.  
  
Padmé smiled again. "I am sorry. I suppose I am annoying sometimes."  
  
"Yes, you are."  
  
"Good night, my love."  
  
"Good night." 


	8. Vacation

Author's note (please read): Yes, I know that Darth Vader means "Dark Father", but I don't think that has anything to do with his name in the SW universe. Palpatine doesn't even know Vader has children at first (since Vader doesn't even discover Luke at first), so I don't think he'd give him the name "Dark Father". My guess is that Lucas liked the name and used it as sort of a small spolier for ESB.  
  
**Anyway, I'm sick of arguing about this, so I wish everyone would just drop it. I've written a lot of P/V stories and this is the first one where anyone has bothered me about actually having Vader's _name_ wrong. I at least know that Vader is not Anakin Skywalker. Several other characters in the movies say he became Darth Vader, and they all refer to Anakin as if he's actually dead. Vader calls himself "Vader", so even if other Sith have "Darth" names, you could at least consider Vader's name to be Darth Vader.  
  
If this really bothers everyone so much, then I'll probably just finish Angel 2 and not do a series. I would hate to have a whole series in which I supposedly have Vader's character wrong.** Sorry for the bold paragraphs, but I wanted everyone to read this. Thanks to J.E.A.R.K. Potter, JediMasterBob, dtaylor16889, nextwave00, and everyone else for the reviews :)  
  
**-::- Chapter Eight: Vacation -::-**  
  
The next two weeks were some of those happy weeks for Amidala Vader - she went with her husband to one of the bases or the _Executor_ everyday. She saw her doctors four times, and both of them said that the twins appeared to be healthy. Darth Vader seemed to more than tolerate the time with her, though she certainly would not get her hopes up about that, despite the defensiveness he'd shown after the encounter with Palo.  
  
One night, while Vader and Amidala were sitting awake in bed, Amidala's comlink began to beep.  
  
She stared at it for a moment. It was not her husband calling, obviously, so she ignored it. After a few seconds, the beeping stopped.  
  
"Do you want a massage?" Amidala asked Vader.  
  
"No," he answered.  
  
"Could I have a kiss?"  
  
"That should make you stop talking."  
  
Amidala smiled. "It will. I won't say anything else for the rest of the night."  
  
-::-  
  
The next afternoon, while the two of them were alone in Darth Vader's chambers at the main base, he asked his wife if she wanted to go to Estela with him in another week or so.  
  
"Yes," she answered, without asking why they were going.  
  
Vader did not have any business on Estela, but he just wanted to go somewhere and be away from Imperial City for a day or two. He had actually planned to bring Amidala along, anyway, whether or not she felt like travelling.  
  
It was pathetic, he knew. He already accepted that he was used to having her around - nothing was wrong with that - but now, a strange feeling had started to develop whenever his wife was _not_ around. Could that possibly be loneliness?  
  
-::-  
  
Amidala thought of something that evening, while the two of them were eating dinner. She had actually thought of it a while ago, but had not wanted to ask.  
  
She hesitated. "What is your mother's name?"  
  
Vader looked at her. "Why do you want to know?"  
  
"She is my mother-in-law," she answered. "And I was thinking that if the twins are girls, we could name one of them after her."  
  
"No."  
  
"Okay," Amidala said softly. She paused. "Where are we going on Estela? The town we used to live near?"  
  
"I am not sure yet," Vader replied.  
  
"Can I ask you something?"  
  
"You are asking enough questions already. Why not continue?"  
  
Amidala hesitated. "I'm sorry. I like to talk to you."  
  
"What do you want to ask?"  
  
"Do you think that we know each other well?"  
  
"You know me better than anyone else," Vader admitted.  
  
Amidala almost looked right into his eyes. "Really?"  
  
"If you start crying out of happiness, I will hit you."  
  
"I won't."  
  
-::-  
  
They went to Estela two weeks later. Darth Vader had not realized, when he decided to take his wife there, that their six-month anniversary was coming. _She_ had certainly remembered it, though. He did not want her to think that he cared about celebrating the occasion, so they left for Estela two days _after_ their anniversary.  
  
Amidala, who was of course six months pregnant now, seemed to have guessed that they were not visiting the planet for business reasons. They went in their own ship, not on a Star Destroyer.  
  
"How long have you been flying?" Amidala asked, sitting next to him in the cockpit.  
  
This was one of the times that she usually tried to talk to him - when they were flying. He was always in an almost pleasant mood when the piloting the ship.  
  
"Since I was very young."  
  
Amidala smiled faintly. "How young? Ten?"  
  
"Younger that that," Vader said.  
  
_"Master, why are we going to risk so much by trusting a boy we don't even know? And how do we know he'll last five minutes in the pod-race?"  
_  
_"I am making this decision, Obi-Wan. I do not need to hear anything else from you."_  
  
"Wow," Amidala said softly. She paused. "You are amazing."  
  
"You are quite impressive," Vader admitted.  
  
"Do you think so?"  
  
"I do not say things simply to make you happy."  
  
"I know." Amidala looked at the window of the cockpit. "That is one of the things I love about you."  
  
Vader did not respond to that, and she silently chastised herself for ruining the moment by trying to make it too sweet. She touched her stomach as one of the twins lightly kicked her. Another faint smile came to her face. Only three more months until the babies were born. She was both excited and nervous.  
  
Going into labor and the fact that she had almost no motherhood experience, however, did not worry Amidala as much as wondering what Vader's reaction would be. He had said before that he did not care if they were boys or girls, but what if part him really wanted to have two powerful, strong sons to rule the Empire with him?  
  
_If he wanted sons, he would have wanted to know the babies' genders. But he hasn't been interested in finding out_, Amidala assured herself.

* * *

If you didn't read the author's note at the beginning of the chapter, please do. Thanks :)  
  
- Draven Star


	9. Talking About Love

This chapter is short, sorry; next one will be better :) 

Im4everagt: **I would _never_ stop writing a story because people don't like it. I write these for fun, because I enjoy it. What I hate is when people start bothering me about something stupid, such as the Vader name thing, or they leave me lots of bitchy "constructive criticism", as if I'm supposed to be writing a perfect English paper. That's one reason why I deleted Hidden Star. A few reviewers (no, I'm not pointing at just one) sort of ruined it for me.**

**I'm not saying that I don't enjoy input, and I _don't_ just want sweet comments from everyone. But when I keep getting the kinds of reviews I mentioned above, I feel like no one is reading the story because they enjoy it.**

**-::- Chapter Nine: Talking About Love -::-**

When they reached Estela, they landed in a very large clearing that was almost a hundred miles away from their old house. Amidala Vader was glad to visit the planet. It was wonderful to be surrounded by the forest - not buildings - and hear birds chirping instead of whizzing sky traffic. the tops of distant mountains were visible from here.

Amidala guessed that Darth Vader had come to this spot before, since he had easily found a clearing that was large enough to land their ship in.

For a moment, they just stood there in the clearing, near the shade of the ship's shadow.

Amidala heard a faint rustling saw, and spotted a large black bird nearby, pecking at a dead mouse. It reminded her of the bird she had seen in one of the Theed palace's courtyards, when she was visting Terezah after learning that she had been elected as Naboo's new queen.

_"I'm sorry if I scared you when I mentioned the Emperor Palpatine and Darth Vader thing. I just wanted you to be aware, so it wouldn't surprise you."_

Vader noticed the bird as well. For a moment, he considered reaching into his wife's mind, just to see what she happened to be thinking, but decided to leave her alone.

She looked better than nice right now, and seemed to be feeling better, as well - she had vomited earlier, this morning, less than five minutes after getting out of bed. She was wearing a black dress that was printed with dark blue roses, and her hair flowed down to her back, except for two braids that encircled her head. Her stomach, which was almost impossible to conceal now, poked out from underneath the dress, but it did not take away from her beauty.

"Have you come here before?" she asked, sounding as if she were trying to make conversation. "To this spot, I mean?"

"Yes. Several times," Vader answered.

"Is it special?"

"What do you mean?"

Amidala shrugged. "Does it mean something to you?"

"Not in particular," her husband replied.

He came behind her and his slid his arms around her. She was surprised. She could not remember the last time he had just held her, if he ever had before. Not wanting to ruin his good mood, she said nothing, and they were both quiet again.

"Would we get lost if we went for a walk?" Amidala finally asked. Actually, she mostly wanted to continue standing here, with Vader holding her.

"No, if we do not go very far," he said.

He let go of her, but took her arm inside his.

"Thank you," she replied softly.

-::-

"Your turn," Ruwee said.

Jobal gently took Ryoo, who made a gurgle sound and reached up with one of her small hands, trying to poke her grandmother's chin.

"Sola and Darred should be back soon," Ruwee added.

Jobal smiled. "They can take their time. I love taking of Ryoo."

"We did make Sola baby-sit Padmé a lot. I suppose we owe her."

"Don't."

"Don't what? Discuss our other daughter?" Ruwee asked, a bit defensively.

Jobal sighed. "Sorry."

Her husband patted her shoulder. "Me, too."

"You know, I still want to call her."

"Remember Vader calling and telling me not to come near her again?"

"He said not to come near her," Jobal replied. "Did he say that we can't talk to her, either?"

"No, but he certainly gave the impression that we should leave them alone. I think we should wait for Amidala to talk to us when _she_ wants to," Ruwee said. "We've had this discussion before, Jo."

"Fine. You're right."

-::-

Darth Vader and Amidala did not walk for more than half-an-hour before Amidala's feet began to hurt. They returned to the ship and went inside. Vader had not yet decided if they were going stay on Estela longer or go home, or perhaps somewhere else. His wife would might like Kamino, or maybe not; the place would probably seem dreary to her.

But why did he care if she would like it or not? She would go if he wanted to.

She did not say anything as the ship began to take off. She did not seem very concerned with their destination, as long as she was with him.

"Amidala," Vader said, as the ship began to move away from Estela and Naboo, "I have a question for you."

"Alright," she replied softly, slowly swiveling her pilot chair a little so that she faced him more.

"You have never loved anyone before me?"

"No. You are my first and only love."

Vader sensed the honesty in the answer. "Out of curiousity - and only that - if you have never loved anyone else, then how did you realize that you love me?"

His wife thought for a moment before responding.

"I admit that I used to wonder if I was just infatuated with you, because you are so handsome," she said, blushing slightly.

"How do you know it is more than that?" Vader asked, not caring about the complement.

"Because I just know, and I feel it," Amidala continued. "I know that sounds stupid, but it's the best answer I can think of. I hate the thought of you being with someone else. I'm never completely happy unless I'm with you. I think about you all the time whenever you are not at home."

She paused, then added, "And when you told me that you were going to kill me after the twins didn't need me anymore, I was upset because I wouldn't get to be with you, not because I was scared of dying."

"I know."

"You knew that?"

"Yes."

Amidala touched her stomach. "Do you care for them?"

"I will if they are both alive and well when they are born," Vader said.

"I guess that makes sense. I am trying not to get too excited until I know that they are healthy."

They went back to Coruscant. Amidala did not care that their vacation had been so short. It was early evening when they returned home. She mentioned wanting to take a shower and go to bed.

-::-

When Amidala woke up the next morning, Darth Vader had already left. She sighed and closed her eyes, but was unsuccessful in falling in asleep again. Finally, she got out of bed - first hesitating lazily - and got dressed. As she put on a long-sleeved, warm black dress, she had trouble remembering what she had looked like without her stomach being so big.

_But I am going to have two adorable sons or daughters_, she thought, _and I know Vader is going to love them when he sees them. Even if he doesn't realize it at first_.


	10. Still Unsuccessful

qtrhrs78: Right now I'm just going to do the Luke/Mara version of Dark Hearts. I might re-write Dark Hearts, the original one, the way I've redone Angel - not much of a plot change but longer and better grammer, etc. 

Amylion: Not sure if I'll repost Hidden Star. I'd have to re-write it because I don't think I have all of the chapters.

angelslove: I read your profile...I think there are a lot of guys on Maybe they just don't review as much. I know of JediMasterBob and Tim Knispel, who are both cool.

I uploaded three chapters for this update. This first one moves kind of quickly, sorry.

**-::- Chapter Ten: Still Unsuccessful -::-**

Amidala Vader was not surprised that Darth Vader almost ignored her for the next two weeks. Every morning, he left before she woke up. When he came home, she tried to talking to him while they ate dinner or were sitting in bed, but he hardly spoke.

It was probably because of the conversation that they'd had on Estela. Vader had been in such a good mood, almost. He had even held her.

_We have been married for six-and-a-half months, and I am excited because he gave me a hug_, she thought one afternoon, sitting on the couch in the living room. She was painting her fingernails with pale pink polish, occasionally glancing at the viewing screen.

_But I am going to show him that I'll wait for years, if that's what it takes_.

On the news, a young human woman said something in a language that Amidala did not understand, though she heard "Lady Vader". She looked at the subtitles at the bottom of the screen.

"...one observer at a party, a couple of months ago, said that she looked at least five or six months pregnant then, so she must be due within the next few weeks..."

"In two-and-a-half months. Close," Amidala said.

She picked up the remote and flipped through a few channels, stopping when she found a horror holomovie - for some strange reason, she liked them. One of the twins kicked her, more harshly than usual, as she started to coat one of her fingernails with the polish. She giggled softly.

"I can't wait to see you, either."

-::-

"Have they found anymore bases?" she asked that night, as she and her husband were eating.

"Two rumored ones," Darth Vader answered.

"Why does everyone mention rumors?"

"It is a trick. Rebel sometimes leave false leads. We investigate everything, no matter how ridiculous it seems."

"That's good," Amidala said, glad that he wanted to talk to her. She paused, taking a sip from her glass of water, before asking, "Could I see one of my doctors tomorrow?"

"Yes."

"Would you stay with me? Please?"

"Why is it so urgent?"

Amidala shrugged. "He let me listen to the twins' heartbeats last time. I wanted you to hear it."

"I will be busy," Vader replied.

"Could we do it another day, then?"

"Perhaps."

-::-

Darth Vader did take his wife to the doctor three times during the next two weeks, but he never stayed with her during the examinations.

Amidala guessed, at first, that he was cruelly teasing her. Then she scolded herself. He _was_ busy, trying to get rid of the stupid new Rebellion as soon as possible, so that peaceful, undisturbed order could be restored in the Empire. The babies were not due for another two months, anyway. Going to every examination did not have to be the most important task on Vader's list.

As they were laying in bed that night - the night that Amidala was exactly seven months pregnant - she moved close to Vader, hoping that he would let her snuggle underneath his arm.

"What do you want?" he asked.

She sighed, but did not move away - her large stomach did not make it very easy to shift a lot, especially when she was tired.

"Are you angry with me?" she whispered, looking at him.

It was dark in the room. The window's curtains were closed, so she could not see him clearly, even though he was lying right next to her.

"I will not be if you are quiet," he answered.

One of the babies kicked Amidala. She almost took Vader's hand, to let him feel it, but changed her mind.

She mouthed the words "I love you", not wanting to annoy her husband any further, and then closed her eyes. A few minutes later, she was asleep.


	11. Lonely Again

**-::- Chapter Eleven: Lonely Again -::-**

Another few days seemed to drag by. Amidala was not sure what was wrong. Maybe it was her pregnancy, along with the fact that Darth Vader ignored her more. He did not take her to the base or the _Executor_ with him. As usual, during Amidala's "lonely" days, he left every morning without waking her up.

She slept until almost noon every day, even if she had gone to bed as early as eight o' clock the previous night. At night, when she and Vader were eating dinner or lying awake in bed, she barely tried to speak to him - though she definately made sure that she told him "I love you" every day.

It seemed like Amidala's heart was finally breaking. Her husband still did not love her, and was not the least bit excited about their twins. She almost missed her parents, and even Sola. She was due in six weeks, and knew almost nothing about taking care of a baby, or _two_ babies.

The twins seemed to pick up on her dreary moods. They hardly kicked her, and she decided to ask Vader if he would take her to one of the doctors soon, so that she could see if anything was wrong.

-::-

One morning, after a week of Amidala's depression, Darth Vader seemed to be in an almost pleasant mood again.

He brought her to the main Imperial base with him, and did not let her out of his sight while they were there. She followed him around, constantly at his side, until he took her to the doctor. Amidala was already feeling much better, and did not want to risk irritating her husband, so she did not beg him to stay with her during the examination.

"Vader," she asked softly, before he left her outside the medical room, "can I have a hug? Please?"

No one else was in the hall, so Vader hugged her, but not very tightly. She seemed to appreciate it anyway, though.

He turned and left her before she could say anything else, though he felt the fear that suddenly came from her. It was like a thick, invisible fog that seemed to follow him somehow.

Behind him, Amidala went inside the doctor's room. She had barely crossed though the doorway when she began to bleed. The sight of the dark red drops on the floor made her shriek. The two doctors, who had been waiting nearby, rushed over her.

-::-

"Captain Zayta."

The man gave a small bow. "Yes, My Lord?"

"I understand that two of our shuttles are missing," Darth Vader said.

"Only two supply shuttles, My Lord," Zayta replied.

"How long have they been gone?"

"Since yesterday."

Vader's eyes were the same shade of blue as Zayta's, but his were scary to the officer. They chilled him. Like Amidala, he seemed to want to avoid making eye contact with the Sith Lord.

"Even if they were stolen," the captain added nervously, "their codes are out-of-date now. They will not be admitted by the base security. But we will find them."

"Then why are you still standing here?" Vader asked.

Zayta, not sure what to say, bowed again and then left. Before he was even out of sight, an officer approached. He looked as if he were in a hurry. It had better be something important.

"My Lord," he said, not even stopping to bow, "Lady Vader is having a miscarriage."


	12. Nobody Else

**-::- Chapter Twelve: Nobody Else -::-**

There were three doctors in the room when Darth Vader entered. One of them, the oldest and most experienced-looking, quickly told him that they had sedated Amidala. They were going to operate on her and take the babies out, hopefully in time to save them, and maybe save Amidala as well.

Before drifting into a strangely comfortable sleep, caused by the sedative injected into her, Lady Amidala Darth Vader briefly remembered one man. She was not sure why she thought of him - she did not even know him, and it had been years since their encounter.

-::-

"Why did we have to come to Coruscant?" Sola whined. "Couldn't Aunt Shali visit us?"

"Imperial City, Sola. Don't let any Stormtroopers hear you say that," Ruwee said. He closed the door to their hotel room after everyone else was inside. "I'll go over this again. Shali just had a baby, and your mother and I wanted to take a vacation, anyway. We decided that we might as well come and see your new cousin."

"But Aunt Shali has been wanting to visit Naboo again, anyway."

"Probably not with a two-week-old baby," Jobal replied. "Come on, Sola. Padmé just turned eight, and she's being more mature than you."

Sola shrugged. "Not really. She slept most of the way here, that's all."

Padmé climbed up onto the hotel room's couch, remaining quiet. This was one of those times when she should just watch and let Sola get into trouble.

"Not another word, La-La," Ruwee said.

"Dad! Don't call me that."

"Are we still going to the gardens?" Padmé asked. Her voice had a sweet, I'm-the-well-behaved-one tone.

"Of course, Pad," answered Jobal.

Sola sat down on the couch. "Can I stay here?"

Her mother sighed. "Fine, but don't leave the room."

-::-

Padmé loved the Moonlight Gardens. She, her parents, and Sola had visited them when they came her last year. The plant and animal exhibits, inside the large building, were certainly not as gorgeous as any of the scenery on Naboo. But Padmé thought they were nice anyway. This was one of the places to go, on Imperial City, if you wanted to hear birds chirping, or even see a patch of green grass.

Those things were so normal on a beautiful planet like Naboo, while some Imperial City kids, around Padme's age, had probably not even felt rain dripping on them before, or heard thunder, except in holomovies and shows. It made her have more respect for her home.

Jobal wanted to go see the rare and exotic flowers exhibit - which Ruwee thought was sort of a joke, since any species of flower could be considered exotic on Imperial City.

"Dad, can I go see the birds?" Padmé asked, knowing how long her mother would want to look at the flowers.

"We shouldn't seperate," said Jobal.

"The birds are just in the next room," Ruwee told them. "Go ahead, Padmé, but don't go anywhere else, okay? We'll come there next."

"Okay."

-::-

Padmé wandered around the huge room for about half-an-hour, looking at each of the twenty exhibits. She recognized two species that were native to Naboo and Estela, and three new exhibits that had not been here last year.

An open archway led into the next room, where the fish ponds and aquatic plants were. That part of the gardens was new, as well. It had been completed only a month or so ago.

After waiting for another few minutes, Padmé did not see either Jobal or Ruwee. She decided that it could not hurt to go to the next room. She would most likely be back here before her parents came looking for her.

The room was impressive. Large, circle-shaped ponds, each encircled by clear railings, were built into the floor. Large, decorative rocks were in each corner of the room, along with potted tropical trees. Vines, which had brightly-colored flowers, were growing among ledges in the walls.

Padmé went over to one of the ponds. If she stood on her toes, she could barely look over the edge of glass railing. White fish were swimming around. Orange and yellow frogs were sitting on the lilypads that floated on the water's surface.

"Did you see the sharks?" a female voice said.

"Yeah. They're in the corner," another female replied.

_Sharks_, Padmé thought excitedly. The Theed Zoo, on Naboo, did not have any sharks in its aquariums. They weren't arriving for another few months. Padmé had never actually seen a real-live shark.

She turned and looked around the room, spotting only one pond that was near a corner, at the opposite end of the room. Seeing that it was not very crowded - only one human man was standing at it - she walked over to it.

The railing was a few inches taller than the ones around the other ponds, so Padmé could not get a good view of the inside of the pond. She did not try, since the man was standing only a couple of feet away. Feeling small and helpless around adults was slightly embarassing for her.

"Are you afraid?" the man asked.

Padmé only half-heard him at first, thinking that he was talking to somebody else.

"Are you?" he asked again.

She looked at him. He seemed to be a teenager or a young adult. His blonde hair was short, with a single thin braid on one side that Padmé thought would be irritating, if she were wearing it. He was handsome, probably, but she was not yet at the age where she was crazy about boys.

"Me?" she asked.

"Yes. Are you afraid?"

"Of what?"

"Sharks," the man answered, politely regarding her with his blue eyes.

"No," Padmé replied. "Why?"

"Most children are. Girls, at least."

"I like animals. Sharks are cool."

"Would you like me to pick you up?" the man offered.

Padmé backed away, just one step. "Why?"

"So that you can see inside the pond."

"No, thanks. I'm not even supposed to talk to strangers," said Padmé. She suddenly remembered that her parents would probably come to the bird room soon. She needed to go before they started looking for her, yet she was only half-worried about that.

"Are you alright?" the man asked. He did not kneel down in front of the girl, as most adults did. Somehow, he seemed to know that she did not like it when they did that.

"Yes. Are you?"

"Why do you ask?"

Padmé shrugged. "You seem sad."

"Angry more than sad," the man answered. He was quiet for a moment.

"Why?"

"Not all of my...friends like me. They don't believe I am as great as them," the man said, trying to put it into words that the girl could understand. "And they're scared of me."

"You seem nice enough to me. They're just being stupid-faces," Padmé replied.

The man almost laughed. "Yes, I think they are. But friendships will become much more complicated when you are seventeen."

"I'm only eight now, Mister..."

"My name is Anakin."

"Anakin." Padmé almost reached out to shake his hand, as she knew she was supposed to do, but hesitated. "I should go now. My parents are going to be mad if I get lost."

"Goodbye."

"Bye."

-::-

"The first one appears to be fine," one of the younger male doctors said to the oldest one.

"I think that Lady Vader was going to go into labor soon, anyway," the older doctor told both his assistants and Darth Vader.

"She was not due for seven more weeks," Vader said.

"Early labor happens occasionally," the doctor replied. He was not confident enough to tell the Sith Lord that it could have been caused by stress.

"It's a male," one of the younger men said, giving the first baby to the older doctor. He had a _you_-can-give-him-to-Vader look on his face.

The older man returned a thanks-you-asshole expression that he thought Vader did not notice. He brought the baby, who was already crying loudly, to the Sith Lord, then quickly went back to Amidala.

Holding his son for the first time, Darth Vader felt a strong emotion that he did not recognize at first - pride. He was proud of a four-minute-old baby who had not yet done anything. He already loved his son at that moment, although he did not conciously realize it right then. The infant's powerful new presence in the Force seemed to fill the small room, much the same way that Amidala's fear had been like an invisible fog earlier.

The baby seemed to somehow recognize his father. His wailing soon faded to softer whimpers.

Vader looked at him for another moment, noticing that he had a a tiny bit of blonde hair already, then carefully set him in the small crib in the corner of the room.

He remembered Shmi once telling him - Anakin - that she had almost named him Luke, since she liked that name. She had decided on Anakin because there was already another baby in their slave apartments named Luke, and one called Lukas.

_Luke_, Vader thought.

"I think she'll be fine," one of the young doctors said. "The sedative should keep her asleep for another half-hour."

The older doctor came over to Darth Vader again, with the second baby.

"It is a female," he said. "She looks perfectly healthy, My Lord, and Lady Vader will be fine."

"Good. Leave us when she does need anymore attention."

"Yes, My Lord." The man made a small bow, then returned to Amidala and the other doctors.

Darth Vader's daughter was slightly smaller than her twin, and had a few strands of dark hair. Her presence in the Force was just as strong as Luke's. She continued to cry until Vader carefully touched her tiny hand with one of his prosthetic fingers. She grasped it. He hardly felt the touch through his black gloves.

He held the newborn princess of the galaxy until the doctors left the room, then set her down in the crib, next to Luke.

Vader went over to the hospital bed on the other side of the room. Amidala was still sleeping soundly. Any blood stains on her dress did not show through the black material.

_"Does our wedding have to be tonight?"_

_"Why do you ask?"_

_"This isn't the time of month when I want to wear a white dress, if you understand what I mean."_

_"Do not worry. Sith brides do not wear white."_

Lightly, Vader stroked his wife's cheek. He understood that he could have lost her, and then he and the twins would have been alone. They did need her - the babies did, at least. Vader would not admit that he needed Amidala, because he knew it was not true. If anything happened to her, he would simply get married again.

Suddenly, though, the idea of another woman taking care of his son or daughter, or lying next to him at night, seemed strange.


	13. Welcome Home

**-::- Chapter Thirteen: Welcome Home -::-**

Amidala Vader stayed at the base that night. Darth Vader was not constantly in the room with her, but he usually came in every hour or so. Most of the time, she was asleep. The next evening, the two of them - four, now - went home.

Amidala and Vader's bedroom had an open archway that led into the next room. When she was almost six months pregnant, they had decided to use that as the babies' room.

She was surprised when she saw the crib that was now in there. It was black-painted wood, and the posts were carved to look like stiff, almost-vertical branches from a tree or bush. A snake curled around each one. At first, the whole thing was creepy, but then Amidala was touched. She supposed that a cute, more normal-looking crib did not belong in a Sith Lord's house, anyway.

She glanced at Vader, but before she could thank him, Luke began to cry.

"Why don't you rest while I feed your brother?" Amidala softly said to the female baby, who was still nameless.

She carefully set her daughter into the crib. After a moment, the princess seemed comfortable with the soft black blankets and black-and-grey pillows. She closed her brown eyes, which somehow made her mother think of Darth Vader, and was soon asleep.

Amidala smiled. She turned to say thank-you to her husband, but he had left the room.

-::-

After Luke was calmly sleeping in the crib, with his sister, Amidala went back into the bedroom. Vader was taking a shower now. She briefly wondered if he was trying to ignore her, but that seemed a little ridiculous.

She was tired again, despite sleeping so much in the base's medical room. She went into the closet and changed into her nightgown, deciding to go ahead and take a nap before one of the twins began to cry again.

They were so precious. Amidala was grateful that both of them, as well as herself, were alright.

She was still awake when Vader came to the bed. She turned so that she was facing him.

"I love you," she whispered. Without pausing, since she didn't expect a reply, she added, "I was terrified yesterday. I thought I might not see you again, or the babies."

"You did well," Vader admitted.

"Thank you for staying with me, and for the crib. It's beautiful," Amidala replied. She moved closer, and he let her snuggle under his arm. All of her nervousness, fear, and worry from the past couple of days suddenly disappeared.

After a quiet moment, she asked, "What are we going to name the girl?"

"Leia," Vader answered.

"That's beautiful."

-::-

Darth Vader went to the main base again the next morning. Amidala was already awake, since both Luke and Leia had wanted to be changed and then fed. For the first time in days, she hugged her husband before he left.

She missed him as soon as he closed the door, but at least she had the babies to keep her company now. She went upstairs to see if either of them had woken up again.

As cold as she was toward her parents now, she decided to ask Vader, when he came home, if she could write them another letter. They could at least know that they had a new grandson and granddaughter, though she was not sure if she would tell them the babies' names.

"Leia," Amidala said for the first time. She reached into the crib and touched her daughter's hand, softly enough to avoid waking her.

"I forgot to askVader how he came up with that name. And yours, Luke. We'll find out later."

_"You must understand something if I let you join me."_

Luke opened his blue eyes and stared at her quietly for a second, then began to whimper. She picked him up before he could disturb his sister.

"I'm sorry, sweetheart. I didn't mean to wake you."

_"I am a Sith, and our children will be, as well. You know that now, before they are even born. If you ever try to change them, it will be useless."_

_"I understand."_

Amidala kissed Luke's forehead. "You look so much like your father."


	14. Baby News

Sorry for such a short chapter but I haven't updated this story in over a week. 

**-::- Chapter Fourteen: Baby News -::-**

Amidala did not was not in the living room, waiting to greet Darth Vader, when he came home that evening.

He found her upstairs, looking inside the crib. When he came closer, he saw that both of them were asleep. Amidala smiled at him.

"Hello, my love," she said softly. She glanced at the twins. "They are finally asleep. I might have a chance to go to the kitchen and cook something."

She moved closer, and Vader let her hug him, but did not return it. After she held onto him for a moment, she went downstairs.

Once she was gone, Vader carefully touched his son's wrist, gently enough to avoid waking him up. When he touched Leia's chin, she lightly kicked the air, but did not open her eyes. He briefly wondered if she would inherit much of Amidala's personality qualities, along with her looks.

That did not completely bother Vader. His wife was intelligent. When they were dating, she had been a little resistant at times, but was never stubborn to the point of being foolish. She had known when to cooperate with him, for the best interest of her people.

-::-

Both of the babies woke them up that night, after midnight. After feeding and changing them, Amidala was unable to fall asleep again, and neither was Vader.

She asked him if he wanted a massage, and as she started rubbing his back, she remembered what she wanted to ask him.

"How did you come up with Leia's name?"

He was quiet for a moment before saying, "Do not ask."

"But it's our daughter's name," Padmé replied softly, trying her best not to irritate him. "Does it have some meaning to you, at least?"

"Yes, it does," Vader answered.

"Can I ask about Luke's name?"

"No."

-::-

Three days later, Ruwee and Jobal Naberrie received a letter from Lady Amidala Darth Vader. Although they had not heard from her in a while, Ruwee still considered throwing it away without even opening it. Jobal, however, stopped him.

"I'll read it if you don't want to," she said.

Ruwee opened the envelope. It had come from a gift store, like Amidala's previous letters. There was still no clue about her residence. Even if they knew where she lived, though, Ruwee remembered Darth Vader's warning to not come near Amidala again. He still had not mentioned it to Jobal.

"I would like to let you know," Ruwee read aloud, "that you now have a grandson and granddaughter - twins. Congratulations."

"That's all?" Jobal said, taking the piece of paper from him.

"Yes."

"She didn't even say what their names are."

"Maybe she doesn't want us to know, or maybe Lord Vader doesn't," Ruwee suggested.

Jobal sighed. "Looks like I don't have to buy any baby gifts."


	15. Distant

**Angel Silver (if you're reading this; most of my "readers" seem to read Angel 2):  
_No, you CANNOT rewrite ANY of my stories_. _They're mine and have my ideas_. If you don't like them, then don't read them. I'm also going to re-write some of my old ones that aren't as good as the newer ones. If you haven't even read many of my stories, especially the newer ones, then you shouldn't hint that you could write them better. And also, _they're my stories_. If you didn't even bother reading Moonlight 4, I don't know why you left a review for it. Sorry to yell at you in an author's note, but I don't know if you got my e-mail or not.**

**Everyone else...**I'm not going to be reading reviews often anymore, but I'll probably look at them every several chapters or so (or whenever a story is done), so you can leave me feedback if you still want to.

**Sorry if I'm being immature and not accepting "constructive criticism", but I really don't care now. I love fanfiction because it's fun for me. For a lot of other people, though, it seems to be mostly about grading grammar and spelling, and pointing out things like me having Vader's name wrong. It's starting to feel more like writing essays for teachers at school, rather than a hobby. Why do some of you keep reading and flaming stories that you don't even like?**

JediMasterBob, J.E.A.R.K. Potter, nextwave00, dtaylor16889, qtrhrs78, and everybody who's been reading this: I know it sounds like I've been complaining a lot in these author's notes. Sorry. I appreciate your feedback and comments very much.

**-::- Chapter Fifteen: Distant-::-**

One evening, when the twins were a week old, Darth Vader felt as if something were wrong when he entered the house. The lights in the kitchen and living room were off. Around this time, Amidala was usually in the main living room, waiting to greet him.

It was quiet, as well. The entire first floor felt empty.

Vader went upstairs.

His wife was gently setting Leia, who appeared to have just fallen asleep, into the crib. She glanced at him, smiling.

"You're home. We missed you today."

"You say that every day," Vader replied, although this was the first time that she had said "we", to include the babies.

"Because it's true," Amidala whispered. She changed the subject. "I'm going to take a shower before Luke and Leia wake up."

-::-

After taking a shower and drying her hair, Amidala fed and changed both of the twins, then went downstairs to cook.

While they were eating, she was quiet, and seemed somewhat distant. Vader did not sense any sadness or worry in her, though. He almost asked her, anyway, if something was bothering her, but was not sure how to ask without sounding as if he really cared.

"We have a lead for another Rebel base," he said, "on one of the Yavin planets."

"That's good," Amidala said softly. She yawned briefly. "Excuse my mood, please. I am a little tired."

Vader did not reply. He realized that since he had come home, she had not asked how his day was. That did not anger him, but he had noticed.

"Is Kitster going to let the press know about the babies?" she asked.

"In the next month or so."

"Alright. Thank you again for letting me write to my parents."

"Have they called you again?" asked Vader.

"No."

-::-

Amidala closed her eyes almost as soon as she went to bed. Vader touched her leg, underneath the blankets, but she did not say anything. He pulled her closer to him.

"I love you," she said softly, resting her head on his bare chest. Her cheek felt somewhat cool against him.

"Have you finally decided to not speak to me?" he asked, as if he had not heard what she just said.

"What? Of course not." She looked up at him. "I've just been tired, with taking care of two newborn babies. Do you believe me?"

"I would know if you were lying."

"Oh." Amidala was quiet for a moment. "Wait - you _care_ that I haven't been talking to you as much?"

"Go to sleep."

"I love you, Vader."

He slapped her, and then she decided to shut up. But the dull pain in her cheek did not seem to even bother her very much right now. She snuggled next to him, and was soon asleep.


	16. Dark

**-:- Chapter Sixteen: Dark -:-**

By the time Luke and Leia were a month old, Amidala hardly looked as if she had been pregnant with them. Vader thought so as he looked at her one sunny afternoon. She was sitting outside on the porch, in a red bikini.

_"If you fall in love with your soulmate, you will be unable to live without them. I think that everyone has somebody waiting for them."_

He watched her for a moment before she happened to glance at the open front door, and noticed him.

_"You are the first boyfriend I have ever had. I have not even been on a date yet."_

"Are the babies still sleeping?" she asked, standing up.

"Yes."

She went over to him and hugged him. He surprised her by returning it. He stroked her lower back with his real hand.

"I love you," she said.

"How many times do you have to say that each day?" Vader asked.

His wife was quiet for a moment. "I wish I knew how to explain some of my feelings to you."

"Why would we have to discuss them?"

"I guess I do not, if it's not important to you." Amidala paused, surprised that she had not started to cry. "Why don't you love me? Is there something wrong with me? I feel completely lost, because I don't know what do."

She silently scolded herself after saying that. Many times, she had reminded herself to be patient with Vader, and wait for him to care about her when he genuinely did. She had just ruined whatever she might have accomplished so far.

"Then perhaps you should give up," said Vader, still holding her, "or do you stay here because of Luke and Leia?"

"They have nothing to do with it," Amidala replied. "Even if you kill me, I won't give up. If you felt what I feel, then...nevermind, Idon't know what to say."

"I know everything that you feel. I sense it."

"That's not the same as having the feelings yourself."

Vader touched her cheek. "Some of the Empire's officers should have your persistence. You refuse to accept defeat, no matter what your opponent does."

"I'm your opponent?"

"No. You are the only completely loyal ally I have, Angel."

"What...?" Amidala looked up at him, right into his eyes.

Vader slapped her lightly. "If you remind me that I said that, I will break all of your limbs."

She smiled, despite how her cheek hurt. "I love you, too."

-:-

Two days later, Sola Naberrie was sitting on her house's front porch. She had been there for almost half-an-hour, longer than she had realized. She had mainly been thinking about Darred, who was helping Ruwee and Jobal move some of the small trees in their garden, and what to get him for his birthday. The sound of the baby's crying, coming from the crib in the living room, brought her back to the present.

"I'm coming," she said to herself. Before she even stood up, though, the whining ceased.

That was strange. Ryoo had strong lungs, as her grandparents joked. She could whimper for an hour straight if she wished.

Sola quickly went inside. When she entered the living room, she froze.

"What are you going here?" she asked.

"It's nice to see you, too," Lady Amidala Darth Vader replied. She kissed Ryoo's forehead.

"Don't touch her. Give her to me."

"How can I give her to you without touching her?"

"You know what I mean."

Ryoo made a giggling noise, giving the empress one of her adorable little baby smiles.

"Give her to me," Sola repeated.

"She's my niece," said Amidala. "I'm not going to hurt her."

"I don't trust you. Give me my baby now, then go away."

Amidala gently set Ryoo inside her crib. She looked at her sister.

"Very well," she said. "I will disappear now. That's what you always wanted me to do, isn't it?"

"What does that mean?" Sola asked, in a much softer tone.

Amidala walked past her and left the house without saying anything else.

-:-

The empress was quite scared as she went into the woods behind Darred and Sola's house. She had parked Vader's speeder there a few hours ago, just a few feet away from the wide path that went through the trees.

Her fear, though, was that she would return to the large clearing where they had landed their ship, and find that Darth Vader and the twins were gone.

_He wouldn't abandon me here_, Amidala tried to assure herself. _The babies are too young. They need me_.

A chill went down her back. Never seeing her babies again was horrible enough, but not seeing her husband, either, was a million times worse. The mere thought of it made tears come to her eyes, and made her throat feel cramped, as if she were going to suffocate.

_"I can feel your fear."_

_"I-I know. Sometimes I feel like you know what I'm thinking."_

_"Perhaps I do."_

She piloted the speeder quickly. Luckily, only two speeder bikes passed her. The path was not crowded other than that.

_"Why me?"_

_"Because it was your destiny."_

_"I-I just want you and the other Imperials to find whatever you need on our planet, and then leave us alone."_

_"We are not leaving anytime soon, Your Highness."_

_"Why did I already guess that?"_

_"And whenever I do leave, you will be coming with me."_

It took her less than ten minutes to reach the clearing, and she let out a sigh of relief when she saw that the ship was still there.

-:-

When the four of them returned home that night, Amidala fed both of the babies and changed them, then went downstairs to cook.

While she was half-asleep last night, Vader told her that he loved her. Despite her joy at hearing the words, she simply whispered "I love you, too" in return, and then added that she wouldn't bother him about the fact that he had finally said it. She was sure he had been joking about breaking her limbs, but you never really knew when Sith Lords made remarks like that.

Her husband came into the kitchen then. She glanced at him, smiling faintly.

"Thank you again for taking me to Naboo," she said.

He slid his arms around her waist, not replying, but she did not care. She turned and hugged him.

She understood that he was not going to be soft or sweeter because he loved her, so he did not need to tell her that. He was a Sith. He considered her to be one, too, since she was his wife. Sometimes she wished that she were Force-strong.

"Do you remember telling me once that one day, I would appreciate everything you do?" she asked.

"Yes."

"Well, you were right." Amidala paused, glancing at her wedding ring. "I am sorry for ever rejecting you or what you do."

"You are mine now. Padmé Naberrie is gone. I knew you would accept it eventually." Vader touched her cheek as she smiled faintly again. "One of the Jedi I killed was in the same situation as you used to be. His friends were rejecting him, and they were afraid of his abilities, because he had the potential to be the greatest in the entire Jedi Order."

"But you defeated him whenever you fought," Amidala said. "He couldn't have been that great."

"He was foolish, and he did not have the guidance he needed."

"You sound as if you knew him well, if you don't mind me saying."

"My point is that you used to be that way. You think so yourself," Vader said.

His wife nodded. "I do."

"And you made the right choice when you joined me."

- The End -


End file.
